


Salvation

by JAM_MM



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Confinement, Gun Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, M/M, Rape, Rape Aftermath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 06:59:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16403546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JAM_MM/pseuds/JAM_MM
Summary: Sid was having the worst. day. ever.





	Salvation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zhenya71](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zhenya71/gifts).



> Please see the tags, this has all kinds of triggers for kidnapping, confinement, rape, and violence.

Looking back on it, Sid could place the blame on the hotel. When he first noticed Geno, he had been waiting in line at the front desk because his key card wasn’t working. He was irritated because normally at that time of day, he would have been tangled in the sheets of his hotel bed captured in the oblivion of sleep. There were a few other people in front of him and the line hadn’t moved in at least five minutes when he began looking around the lobby in boredom. 

His eyes landed on Geno’s tall, lanky frame almost immediately. He was with another man who seemed, impossibly, taller than Geno. Bulkier too. Objectively speaking, they were both handsome, but looking at Geno ignited a flash of heat in Sid’s belly that he wasn’t quite sure what to do with. He turned his attention on the other man instead. Where Geno’s eyes had seemed kind, the other man’s eyes seemed threatening in a way that Sid didn’t understand. They were facing each other, Geno had his hand on the man’s hip. A gesture so intimate that it had made Sid uncomfortable and he had had to turn away.

Sid had been focused on the line of people in front of him and getting a new key card so that he could salvage his pregame nap. With that task accomplished, he had made his way back to the bank of elevators. When he got closer, he could see there was an elevator car with the doors already opened. He quickened his step to a slight jog and reached his hand between the closing doors to reopen them. Once he boarded the car, he looked up and came face to face with Geno and the man from the lobby. He made eye contact with Geno and gave him a kind half smile in greeting. His eyes involuntarily drifted over to the other man, who had all his focus on Geno and Sid felt comfortable taking a closer look. Sid had watched a documentary on Ted Bundy just last week and he was horrified to realize that is what made this man seem so threatening, he was a dead ringer for the psychopath. Sid quickly shifted his eyes down to the floor when Ted 2.0 started to look his way. 

The ride was uncomfortable for Sid, so he leaned against the opposite side of the elevator and alternated between staring at the floor and straight ahead. The ride was painfully silent while Sid tried desperately to think of anything else besides his discomfort or his attraction to Geno. Suddenly, the doors had opened, and Sid looked up at the illuminated numbers to see that it wasn’t his floor. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and then Geno and Ted were in his line of sight, walking down the hallway, presumably towards their room. Ted had placed his arm around Geno’s shoulders and pulled him into his side. They fumbled and bumped into each other awkwardly and Sid had thought it was odd, how out of sync they were as a couple.

When the elevator doors closed again, the car whirred to life as it brought Sid to his floor. He tried to push thoughts of strangers in hotel lobbies and psycho killers out of his mind on his walk to his room. Sid and Pat had come up with numerous strategies regarding Sid’s sexual preferences but none of them satisfied him. After some serious self-reflection, he had decided that it wasn’t that he didn’t want people to know that he was gay. He wasn’t ashamed of who he was or who he was attracted to. He just didn’t want people to care. He wanted people to talk about him because of his hockey, not because of who he slept with. 

Sid had learned to become very discriminatory with who he let into his life. Dating had become too complicated and too much of a risk to his privacy. If he had been into women and dated women, it would have been a non-issue. There was nothing special about hockey players dating, marrying, having babies, with women. But there weren’t any gay hockey players and Sid certainly didn’t want to be the first. He didn’t want that kind of attention.

Sid approached his door and held his breath as he slid the key card into the slot. When a red light flashed next to the key slot, Sid groaned in frustration. The interruption of his routine had left him unsettled and agitated. He took in a deep breath of air and let it out slowly in an attempt to calm his nerves. He wiped the key card on his pants and put it back into the slot carefully. Relief flooded his system at the little green light. Sid opened the door quickly, lest the key card gods decided to smite him once again. He kicked off his sweat pants mid step as he walked towards the bed. He peeled his t-shirt off next and dropped it on the floor. As a rule, Sid would have never been able to sleep with clothes strewn across the floor. But he had already missed a good portion of his nap and all he could think about was curling up in the bed. He might have fallen asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

When his alarm had woken him later, his brain had felt muddled and it left him confused. He blinked his eyes open and rolled onto his back. He stared at the ceiling and reached blindly for his phone. When his fingers didn’t immediately make contact with the device, he lolled his head to the side and spotted it on the nightstand. He scooched closer so that he could just reach the phone and absently turned the alarm off.

He felt off kilter for the rest of his pregame routines and a feeling of dread began to settle into the pit of his stomach. He knew that everybody thought he took his superstitions to the next level. He himself believed that some of them were a bit out there, but it didn’t change the fact that they helped settle game day jitters. It was nice to do the same thing every game and to not have to think about anything new.

Sid pushed the feelings of unease out of his head and made a concentrated effort to focus on his routine and the upcoming game. His phone made an unexpected noise with the sound of an incoming text and Sid’s eyes drifted to the clock on the nightstand. He needed to be on the bus in five minutes and he checked his phone assuming it was Tanger asking where he was. He wrinkled his nose in confusion when he saw that the text was from his sister and anxiety immediately flooded his senses. Taylor knows not to contact him before a game, if she was breaking this rule, something really bad had to have happened. 

The dread in his gut returned as he unlocked his phone to check the text. He narrowed his eyes when he was able to see that the text bubble was blank. Did she mean to send him this? Was this just a glitch in technology or is she fucking with him? Sid shook those thoughts from his spooked brain, Taylor would never screw with him like this.

Besides missing half his nap, his routine hadn’t been disturbed all that much. Sid could see in the grand scheme of things that he could easily right this ship. And that included getting his ass to the bus straightaway.

He had hastily put his game day suit on and Taylor’s ominous text had distracted him from tying his tie properly. He spent the walk to the elevator and half the ride down focused on the damn thing. When the doors opened, he had just assumed that he was back in the lobby. He was startled to the core when he looked up and made eye contact with Ted. Sid took a step sideways, unconsciously putting distance between himself and the man. Ted smiled at Sid, sickly sweet, it had made Sid’s skin itch.

Sid had averted his eyes and moved to finish his tie. His hands were trembling when he grabbed the material. He dropped the fabric and clenched his hands tight into fists before letting them relax. He stuffed them his pockets and resolved to fix the cursed tie once he was in the safety of the bus.

He heard a weird sound come from the man and turned his head on reflex to see that Ted’s smile had turned nefarious. Sid realized with horror that the sound had been some kind of laugh and that Ted was laughing at him. Laughing at his shaking hands and general unease. The anxious feelings seemed to have taken residence in the pit of Sid’s stomach and he could feel the hairs, not only on the back of his neck, but over his entire body, stand on end. His body felt like it was vibrating and when the elevator doors opened with a loud ding, he hightailed it out of the enclosed space as fast as he could manage without actually running. The man’s laugh echoed through his ears as he stepped onto the bus. He went to his usual seat on autopilot and sat heavily. 

Once his sense awareness returned, he realized his whole body _was _vibrating. He was shaking like a leaf and his breathing was somewhat erratic. Flower walked by and gave him a strange look but thankfully didn’t say anything. Sid took the short bus ride to pull himself together and finally finished tying his stupid tie.__

____

____

By the time they reached the arena, Sid was able to push down all the strange vibes of the last few hours and concentrate on his routine and the game. The game was a shit show, because of course it was. Sid should have been able to predict this, but he was surprised by the dirty play and shitty calls. It felt like a game in Philly, where a game like that is expected and Sid has time to prepare for it. But they’re in Tampa, which wasn’t exactly known as a hockey town, despite the success the team had experienced, and it’s usually a pretty mild place to play. They barely won with Jake eking out the only goal just before it would have gone into overtime. Sid was just thankful that he came out unscathed, that everybody on the team did.

Sid’s post game rituals weren’t as important, but he went through the motions anyway. He still felt unsettled and he hoped the normalcy of the routine would calm him. Mostly, he just couldn’t wait to sleep this day away and start fresh in the morning. On his walk back to the bus, Sid checked his phone and saw another text from Taylor. 

**Curse broken?! Glad I didn’t kill you, bro. ******

********

********

Sid just sent back a thumbs up emoji. He knew it would appease her and make her smile. She had been working hard to turn him into the kind of person who uses emojis. He felt his phone vibrate in his hand as he made his way back onto the bus and into his usual seat. He saw a row of smiley’s in the notification and chuckled to himself. He felt better already and all that was left of this day was to go to sleep. He placed his phone on the seat next to him and leaned his head back. He closed his eyes and relaxed while everybody else boarded the bus.

\------

Sid hadn’t realized that he had left his phone on the bus until he went to set his morning alarm. It had taken more effort than it was worth, but he was finally back on the bus, fumbling around in the dark to get to his seat and his phone. Motion caught his attention out of his peripheral and he turned his head towards it on instinct. It was dark in the back corner of the parking lot where the bus had been parked but he could make out Ted’s form regardless.

He had his arm around Geno and it could have been perfectly innocent, except that a trunk popped open nearby and something inside Sid told him that it wasn’t innocent. Before Sid could even process the scene before him, his flight or fight response kicked in and he was moving towards the front of the bus. Ted had manhandled Geno into the trunk. Sid had a brief moment of self-preservation as he quietly made his way over to the man’s car. Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him? Maybe his imagination had gone wild and put together a scenario because of the fear and anxiety that he felt any time he was near this man. But the thoughts were pushed out of his head quickly because as he moved closer to Ted’s car, he could still see him trying to stuff Geno fully into the trunk. 

Apparently Sid’s childhood aspirations of becoming a firefighter were dead on because his body continued to move before he had even made the conscious decision to do so. By the time he got close enough to see the man clearly, he was getting ready to close the trunk. Sid used the element of surprise and pushed Ted away from the trunk before he was able to close it. At this point, Sid immediately regretted his lack of planning and his assumption that Geno would be able to help himself out of the trunk where it would then be two on one. But hindsight is 20/20 and he should have put it together that Ted had so easily manipulated Geno into the trunk because he had previously incapacitated him. 

Sid turned towards Ted and got set to throw a punch, but the man was grinning again. Sid still threw his punch, but it landed off center and the man laughed with glee at this development. His maniacal behavior confused Sid even more and distracted him enough so that he didn’t recognize the object in Ted’s hand. Once he felt his body tense and convulse with the electric current, he knew then that the object was a taser. Sid realized a little too late that the element of surprise didn’t mean much if the other person came prepared. And was apparently crazy. The last thought that rolled through Sid’s mind as Ted was shoving him into the trunk, on top of Geno, was that this was not the way he wanted to come out to the world. 

And then Sid’s own world went dark as Ted closed the trunk on both of them. Sid felt bizarrely calm for having just been kidnapped by someone who had given him the creeps since he first laid eyes on him. Sid laughed ironically at himself for being proud that he was right about the man before he was distracted by a pained moan underneath him. 

“Shit, sorry! It’s kinda tight in here. Let me try to…” Sid trailed off as he tried to scooch back towards the front of the trunk. He felt Geno move the other way and when they were finally situated, they were both on their sides facing each other with only a couple inches between them.

“I’m Sid. That guy your boyfriend or something?”

Sid didn’t really want to judge, but he figured Geno could have found someone who treated him a little better than this. Geno huffed at Sid’s question and Sid’s nose was flooded with the scent of mint, honey, and lemon from Geno’s breath.

“Name Evgeni but can call Geno. And no. Not boyfriend. He pay, I do what he want.”

A prostitute? Sid stewed in that knowledge for a second and his brain helpfully flashed back to their awkward walk down the hallway. Oh. Oh, Sid was very stupid. Before he could spiral any further, he realized Geno was talking again.

“…so stupid, feel something wrong but he pay lots of money so I’m don’t listen to gut. Think he drug me, feel weird.”

“Probably tased you too, that’s how he got me.” Sid added helpfully.

“Why you try be hero? Such stupid! Now we both stuck in crazy trunk!”

Sid sputtered indignantly before he finally said, “I’m sorry. Was I supposed to ignore a man shoving another man into a trunk?” His voice had gotten louder as outrage coursed through him and Geno shushed him, putting his hand over Sid’s mouth.

“I’m sorry to burden you, but I couldn’t just ignore you!” Sid whisper shouted. Geno huffed again and they both sat in silence for a few minutes before Sid remembered.

“My phone!” Sid almost shouted out loud but remembered to lower his voice at the last second. He maneuvered his hands behind himself but with the tight space, he was unable to reach his back pocket. He groaned in frustration before he remembered Geno.

“Reach into my back pocket. My phone is there and I can’t reach it.” Sid whispered to Geno, who obediently did as he was told. Sid’s body jerked at the touch and he resolutely ignored any feelings that were bubbling up. He could deal with those later. After he was done being kidnapped.

“Here!” Geno breathed out as he put the phone into Sid’s hand. Sid brought it up to his face as best he could with the limited space and pressed the home button. The trunk was flooded with light and both men’s eyes squinted in protest. Sid dialed 911 and awkwardly brought the phone up to his ear. 

“911, what’s the nature of your emergency?”

Sid hesitated for a second to think about how this would be recorded and at some point, everybody would hear it. The operator repeated her question at the same time that Geno poked him in the ribs. Sid yelped in surprise and then focused on the call.

“Ah yes. Um. I’ve been kidnapped. Me and another man. We are in the back of a trunk right now.” Sid’s voice started to shake as the reality of his situation sank in at the words.

“Alright sir, I need you to take a few deep breathes and try to stay calm. My name is Lynn. Can you tell me your name?”

“Sid.”

“Ok, Sid, that’s good. Is the car moving?”

“Yes!” Sid whisper shouted at Lynn and Geno poked him again. Sid looked over at him and could see a stern look on his face. Sid shrugged at him. He was sure Lynn had heard worse.

“Alright, Sid, you’re doing great. Do you know where you were when he put you in the trunk?”

Sid tried to think clearly but his brain was muddled. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and said, “Um. Yeah. We were at the downtown Hilton.”

“Ok Sid, and how long has he been driving?”

“Maybe. Uh. Maybe five minutes?” Sid asked and looked back to Geno for confirmation. Geno shrugged as best he could but then nodded.

“Good, good. And did you see what kind of car it is, color?”

Sid had been too focused trying and failing to attack the man to notice his car. Sid panicked and looked to Geno with wild eyes. If they didn’t know what kind of car the man was driving, they would never get found. Who knows what this man would do. He could take them anywhere and nobody would ever find them. They could-

“It’s red Toyota,” Geno said out of nowhere. “Maybe Camry. Not sure, not smallest one but not too big either.”

“Ok, good Sid. Is that the other man? Are you guys ok, either of you hurt?”

“Yeah. That’s Geno. Were both fine, besides, you know.”

“Ok, Sid, you guys are doing really good. Now I want you to locate the area where the tail light is, ok? I want you to try to kick it out.”

“Ok?” Sid questioned and looked at Geno again who had started to look around behind Sid. Sid turned his phone so that the light was shining towards the front of the trunk. Suddenly Geno had moved closer to Sid so that he was plastered up against chest. It took all of his effort for Sid to suppress the noise that was trying to escape, remembering that this moment was still being recorded. Geno told him to bend his knees out of the way and when Sid did that, he kicked the tail light out. “Ok, Geno kicked it out, now what?”

“Ok, Sid. Now I want one of you to stick whatever you can out there, a foot or a hand, whatever you can get out there. And wave it around so people can see it.” Geno had already followed her direction, foot kicking around outside the car. Sid had wondered briefly if Geno had been in this situation before.

“Ok, Geno’s foot is outside. He’s kicking it around.”

“Ok, good job. You guys are doing really good. We have every available unit on the lookout for you guys ok? And we’ll get more calls when people see Geno’s foot. I just need you guys to-“ The phone cut off and Sid immediately turned it to his face to see what had happened.

“Fuck, Geno! The call dropped! I have no service! She was just about to tell me what else to do and the call fucking dropped.” Sid started to go into panic mode again as his phone continued to mock him with its’ no signal icon. Geno didn’t answer Sid but continued to kick his foot out the hole where the tail light had been. The motion was shaking his entire body and he was still pressed up tight against Sid’s chest so Sid could feel every inch of him moving against him. Sid blamed his panic on the fact that his dick started to twitch at the friction. 

“It’s ok Sid, they find us.” Geno tried to sound confident but it didn’t really come across. Geno patted Sid’s cheek and smiled kindly at him and Sid’s thoughts conflicted even further at the fear and arousal he was feeling simultaneously. He just sighed and continued to check his phone for service without much luck.

\-------

“He must be taking us out to the middle of nowhere if I have no service, Geno. We need to come up with a plan.” The car suddenly lurched to a stop and both men widened their eyes at each other in panic. They communicated silently and started to work together to get Geno’s foot out of the open hole. Once Geno’s foot was safely back in the trunk, they huddled together and listened for any noise but they couldn’t hear anything.

Without warning, the trunk unlatched and swung open. Sid turned so that his back was to Geno and he was half on top of him in an attempt to protect him. Sid’s arm was behind his back, smashed between his and Geno’s body and he was able to sneak his phone back into his back pocket. Not like it would be any help at all, but Sid felt better knowing that he was still in possession of something that would allow him to communicate with the outside world. It was still dark out and his eyes didn’t have to adjust to the clear night when he looked around. Sid eyes eventually tracked back to Ted and he tensed reflexively when he saw him standing over them with a gun pointed at both of them.

“How cute, guess you guys got pretty acquainted back here, huh?” He was sporting his crazed grin again and Sid’s heart sank back down to his stomach. He took his eyes off the man to look around and saw that he was right in his assessment, they were out in the middle of nowhere.

“Don’t worry, nowhere for you to run. I promise.” The man grinned when Sid’s eyes returned to his face. Sid felt Geno’s hand grab onto his hip behind him and he scooted back just enough for Geno to feel the movement. He hoped that was some comfort to him but Sid wasn’t so sure there was anything that could comfort either of them at this point.

“Alright, so this is what were gonna do. You’re each gonna get outta the trunk, one at a time, when I say so. You’re gonna move slow, any fast movements and I shoot. Hockey boy, you first.” Ted said and moved his gun just slightly so that it was pointed directly at Sid’s forehead. Geno squeezed Sid’s hip again in solidarity and then let go. Sid moved slowly as he lifted himself up and out of the trunk. 

“Ok, hockey boy. You move over there.” The man pointed his gun at the corner of the back bumper so Sid moved the few feet over to where Ted was pointing. “Ok, now my little whore, outta the trunk.” Ted moved the gun so that it was pointed at Geno. While Geno was climbing out of the trunk, Sid thought about tackling the man, but he remembered what happened last time. Sid figured that he needed to have a plan before he acted again. He directed Geno to the opposite corner and once he was there, he pointed the gun back and forth between the two of them.

Ted got them to walk towards a house that sat on the back part of the property. Besides the driveway and a few hundred square feet of a front yard, the house appeared to be completely surrounded by trees. Sid wasn’t sure how far out into the middle of nowhere they had made it, but he didn’t see any other houses anywhere near them. They were fucked, basically. 

The man had warned them that if they attempted anything, he would either drug them or shoot them depending on what he felt at the moment. Sid was not in the habit of guessing the whims of a psychopath, so he decided it was best not to try to be a hero again. Once they made it into the house, Sid was surprised to see that it appeared to be like any regular house. Although, once again, Sid couldn’t understand any of the man’s decisions. Ted continued to heard them deeper into the house until they came through the kitchen and stopped at a closed door that was next to the refrigerator.

Sid was surprised to see stairs leading to some kind of basement behind the door. He was under the impression that Florida houses didn’t have basements. He couldn’t remember why at the moment. He was too focused on the stairs and the cage that was at the bottom of them. It was made out of what appeared to be chain link fence sections. The fencing went from the floor to the ceiling, where it was bolted into the rafters. Ok, so Ted had either done this before or had been planning to do this for some time. Either way, he was much better prepared for this than either Sid or Geno were. They were both directed into the cage and the man locked the gate behind them. 

“Don’t worry, this room is completely soundproof so don’t waste your voice. Also, the nearest house is over a mile away so there ain’t anyone out there to hear ya.” Ted said with a sneer and then he was back up the stairs, door shut behind him before Sid reacted. He let out a breath that he didn’t realize he had been holding. He gasped and sucked in air greedily. He looked around until his eyes landed on Geno, who was also breathing hard. His chest heaving with each breath. Geno’s eyes were wide and unfocused with panic.

“Geno.” Sid whispered softly so as not to startle the other man. Geno looked over and Sid could see his bottom lip wobble. Sid was over to him in a rush and took him into his arms without hesitation. Geno reached his own arms around Sid and held on tight. Sid felt Geno’s body shake with sobs. Geno was taller than Sid, but he was hunched over and his face was buried in the crook of Sid’s neck. Sid felt something inside himself release at Geno’s open display of emotion. He rubbed his palm up and down Geno’s back as he felt his own tears spill down his cheeks. They were both starting to hyperventilate and Sid decided that he was going to have to be the strong one here. He could do that for Geno. And for himself. 

He continued to hold Geno as he got himself under control. Once he felt a bit more calm, he started murmuring little words of encouragement into Geno’s ear. They both knew that the words didn’t matter, but it calmed Geno regardless.

“Sid.” Geno squeaked as he pulled his head back and made eye contact with Sid. His eyes were bloodshot and the skin around them was red and angry. Geno’s nose was also red and Sid wasn’t sure if the wetness below it was snot or tears. Probably a mixture of both.

“It’s ok, we’re gonna be ok Geno. I’m gonna find a way to get us out of here, ok?” Sid looked back up, into Geno’s eyes and tried to portray confidence in his expression so that Geno believed him. He must have succeeded because Geno nodded and gave Sid a tentative smile. He pulled himself out of Sid’s arms and took in their surroundings for seemingly the first time. His entire body shuddered with the breath he took in and let out slowly. 

“Sid,” Geno’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat before he said, “Sorry I drag you into this mess. Know you say it your choice, but I’m still feel responsible.” Sid was already shaking his head to dispute him but Geno looked firm.

“Agree to disagree?” Sid asked and Geno nodded slowly. “Ok, because we are gonna have to work together to get outta here, we can’t be blaming each other, k?” Geno nodded again and opened his mouth to speak but the door at the top of the stairs opened with a loud creak. Both men turned to face the noise. Ted was carrying a plate and a water bottle as he made his way down the stairs. Sid put his body between Geno and the man and backed up as far away from him as he was able to in the cage. Ted just smirked at Sid and when he got right up to the cage, he opened a little door that was about six inches tall by a foot wide. Sid hadn’t noticed that door before but it made sense in a sick sort of way. The man shoved the plate through and dropped it onto the floor. Sid watched in fascination as two sandwich halves bounced off the plate with the rough landing. The man then pushed the water bottle through the door before he closed and relocked it. 

“Eat. Drink. You’re gonna need your strength.” Ted said and then tilted his head back and cackled as if he had made a joke. Before Sid could decide on whether to say anything to the man, he was already making his way back up the stairs. Sid watched him go and listened as the door at the top of the stairs slammed shut and then the sound of a deadbolt lock twisted into place. 

Behind him, Geno squeezed Sid’s hips and nudged him forward a bit. Sid let himself be moved and then turned around to face Geno. The men made eye contact and Sid gave Geno a reassuring smile. At least, he hoped that it was reassuring. He wasn’t sure that he was capable of reassuring anyone, least of all himself, at the moment.

Sid walked over to where the water bottle had landed. He picked it up and inspected the seal. He looked over to Geno and said, “It looks like it’s sealed, but I can’t be too sure. What do you think?” He handed the bottle over to Geno’s outstretched hand. He watched Geno inspect the lid and then the man shrugged and opened the bottle. Geno pulled the lid away from the bottle and brought his nose down to the opening.

“Doesn’t smell like anything, maybe it ok. Maybe ok if it drugged anyway, then we not know what going on.” Geno said and pulled the left side of his mouth up in a half-smile. Sid laughed because he knew Geno was attempting to lighten the mood. He took the bottle out of Geno’s hand and chugged half the water before he could think about it any longer. He handed the bottle to Geno when he was done and raised his eye brows. Geno took the challenge and chugged the second half of the bottle.

Both men had sat and leaned against the back wall of the cage. After what felt like hours, but was probably only ten minutes, Sid said, “Well, I don’t feel any different.” Geno agreed with him and both men relaxed for the first time since they were shoved into Ted’s trunk. Sid pulled his phone out of his back pocket. He still had no signal but Sid made sure that the phone was on silent either way. Geno leaned into Sid so that their shoulders were pressed up against each other. He scooched down and let his head fall onto Sid’s shoulder seeking comfort. Sid put his phone back into his pocket and reached his arm around Geno’s shoulders pulling him closer.

\--------

Sid forced himself to look around the rest of the room they were in. It was mostly open space but there were a few windows that Sid was fairly confident he could shimmy out given the opportunity. 

“So, hockey boy?” Geno said in a mocking tone a few minutes later and Sid laughed. He removed his arm from around Geno’s shoulders and turned so that he was facing Geno. He folded his legs in front of him, Indian style, and peered closely at Geno. Sid wasn’t sure if Geno had known who he was or not, but he was pretty sure now.

“Yeah, it’s not the most creative insult, eh?” Sid asked with a rueful smile and Geno laughed at him with a shake of his head.

“Not really, no. I’m play hockey, in Russia. Was good too, but when teenager, start learn about myself. Know I’m can’t play hockey and like boys. Least not in Russia. So I’m quit, tell mama and papa why I’m quit. They not very happy.” Geno said all of this with a sad, thoughtful look on his face. Like it had brought back some really bad memories. Well. Sid could only imagine.

“That must have been hard, I can’t imagine not playing hockey. When did you come to America?” Sid asked and reached forward to grab Geno’s hand to comfort the other man. Geno’s hands were in tight fists so Sid just wrapped his own hand around Geno’s closed one.

“Was soon after I’m quit hockey. Had some money saved from playing one year in superleague so I’m just take chance. Buy cheapest ticket to America and end up in Tampa. Run out of money soon. No money, no job, barely speak English. So, find easiest way to make money.” Geno looked down at the ground after he spoke, like he was ashamed.

“Hey.” Sid said and tugged on their joined hands to make Geno look up. When that didn’t work, Sid said, “You don’t have anything to be ashamed of, you were dealt a bad hand and you were just trying to be happy with who you were. Your story could have been mine, you know? I was just lucky. I had parents who accepted who I was and supported me. That’s the only difference between you and me.”

At that, Geno’s head snapped up and he looked at Sid in disbelief. “But, you big hockey star! You Sidney Crosby!”

Sid nodded his head and said, “yeah, I am and I’m also gay. I’ve just kept it a secret from almost everybody for as long as I’ve known.”

“Who knows?” Geno asked curiously and Sid sighed. He didn’t like talking about this part of himself. He especially didn’t want to tell Geno that he was scared to be himself after Geno had been so brave.

“My parents, sister, agent, two of my teammates, and that’s it. At first, I always thought I had to hide because I thought it’d take hockey away from me. But now, I just feel like it isn’t anybody’s business. I understand that people want to feel like they know me, but I wish they just cared about my hockey and nothing else.” Sid sighed again and then started to feel bad for feeling so down after hearing how Geno’s life had turned out. He had no right to be upset because he made the decision to hide his true self.

“That hard too, Sid. It hard to live two lives, I wasn’t strong enough for it-“

“No,” Sid interjected, “don’t ever say you aren’t strong. What you did, I think you are so brave, Geno.” At some point, Geno had let his hand relax and he turned it now so that their hands were palm to palm. Sid entwined their fingers together and squeezed Geno’s hand affectionately.

“Don’t feel brave now, feel really stupid.” Geno’s voice wobbled and he looked down at the floor again, but he didn’t let go of Sid’s hand. “I’m don’t want to die in here, Sid. I’m make plans, you know? Been saving money, taking classes, work another job as assistant in animal shelter. Not want to have sex for money forever, soon I finish school and work at shelter as vet tech.”

Sid had moved closer to Geno as he was speaking and when Geno lifted his head to look at Sid with his watery eyes and his sad smile, something in Sid broke. He stumbled forward on his knees and wrapped his arms around Geno. He was trying comfort Geno as much as himself.

“We’re not gonna die in here, Geno. We’re gonna get out. We just gotta be patient ok? We just gotta wait for Ted to make a mistake.” 

“Ted?” Geno asked confused. Sid forgot that he never told Geno about the nickname. He tried to explain it but Geno wasn’t a big fan of American serial killers and Sid is pretty sure that it just ended up freaking Geno out even more.

\--------

Sid didn’t realize that he had fallen asleep until he was startled awake with the sound of the door at the top of the stairs slamming shut. Ted was already halfway down the stairs by the time Sid’s brain came back online. Geno must have already been awake because he was standing near the gate. Ted had his gun in his hand and he pointed it at Sid when he got close to the cage. 

“Alright boys, here’s how this is gonna go. My little whore is gonna come out here and provide the service that I paid for. Hockey boy is gonna stay in the cage. Nobody’s gonna be a hero and nobody’s gonna get hurt.” Ted said and then looked back and forth between Sid and Geno expectantly. Sid didn’t want to acknowledge the instructions but Geno was nodding in front of him so he followed suit. Sid’s entire body felt tense as Ted opened the gate and Geno walked out. Ted kept his gun trained on Sid so he didn’t move and just watched Geno walk towards the monster. 

Once Geno was out of the cage, Ted relocked the gate and then moved the gun so it was resting against the back of Geno’s head. He directed Geno to an open space where there was a mattress on the floor. Had that been here the whole time? Sid hadn’t seen it before but he had only taken a cursory look around the space. Maybe Ted had brought it down when Sid had been sleeping. Either way, it was there and Ted pushed Geno down onto his knees in the middle of it. The gun was still butted up against the back of his head and he must have applied some pressure because Geno went onto all fours easily.

Sid watched in horror as the man proceeded to rip Geno’s pants and underwear off his body in one fell swoop and throw them to the side. He then unbuckled his own pants and slapped Geno hard on the ass. Sid could only see the side of Geno’s face and he could tell that the other man was in pain by the grimace he saw there. Then, with no warning, Ted roughly pushed into Geno. Geno yelped and his face screwed up even more with the pain of the intrusion. Ted responded by smacking the same ass cheek hard again and said, “that’s right, you whore, you take my dick good, like you want it. This is supposed to feel good so fucking act like it.”

Sid could see that Geno’s skin was already puffy and screaming red where Ted had smacked him. Ted continued to thrust brutally into Geno at a pace that made Sid’s skin crawl. Geno didn’t make any more noise but Sid was sure that he was in excruciating pain by the face that he was making. Ted grunted as he continued to use Geno’s body for his own pleasure. “Oh yeah, your tight little asshole feels so good, such a good little whore.” 

Sid watched as Ted set the gun down and grabbed a fistful of Geno’s hair. He yanked Geno’s head back and then pulled his body back even further with his other hand on Geno’s shoulder. Ted sat back on his haunches and the force of it wrenched Geno’s body back so that he sank down completely into Ted’s lap. Geno moaned in pain as he was penetrated. Ted mistook his moan for pleasure and laughed out loud as he flung Geno’s body like a ragdoll back on to all fours and continued to thrust barbarically .

Sid had always thought that Ted’s eyes looked threatening and like there was something off in them. Watching him now, he realized just how much Ted was enjoying this. He got off on torture and control and Sid could see the satisfaction in his eyes. Ted’s entire face was relaxed and his mouth was open just enough to portray the ecstasy that he was feeling in raping somebody.

Sid bit the inside of his cheek so that he wouldn’t make a noise. He didn’t want to make it worse for Geno. Sid couldn’t tear his eyes away from the scene in front of him and for one selfish moment, he was glad that it was Geno and not him. He pushed that thought out of his head as soon as it had entered. The man finally started to slow down and his thrusts became erratic with what Sid assumed was his orgasm. He pulled out of Geno shortly after and smacked his ass one more time. Geno’s entire body shuddered with the impact but he didn’t make a sound. Ted pulled his pants back up and turned to Sid with his sneer of a grin. He got Geno back into the cage and left the two men alone once again. As soon as the door at the top of the stairs slammed shut, Sid turned towards Geno. He was unsure of his welcome and didn’t want to make Geno even more uncomfortable. The man hadn’t allowed Geno to put his pants or his underwear back on so he was still naked from the waist down. Sid bit his bottom lip and tried to appear as warm and welcoming as possible. 

“Sid,” Geno’s voice cracked on his name and Sid’s heart shattered at the sound. Geno looked so lost and Sid knew that he was still in pain from the violent rape. Sid inched closer to Geno and opened his arms to give Geno the option. Geno took it and slammed into Sid’s body hard. He wrapped his arms around Sid’s shoulders tightly. Sid looped his arms around Geno’s waist and held on just as tight. He held Geno for a long moment before he started to move his hand up and down Geno’s back soothingly. He moved his other hand to cup the back of Geno’s head and rubbed at the fine hairs that were back there. Geno’s body was shaking with sobs again and Sid wasn’t so sure anymore that they were going to survive Ted.

Once Geno had calmed down, Sid had offered to help him clean up a little. Sid had gathered a towel that he had found in the corner of the cage and inspected it for cleanliness. He laughed at himself, as if that mattered at this point. Regardless, the towel looked pretty clean. He turned back to Geno and saw that the man was laying on his side in the fetal position with his head curled into his chest. Sid approached slowly and loudly so as not to startle the man. 

Sid crouched down into a squat next to Geno’s back and whispered, “I found a towel, I’m gonna clean you a little ok?” He waited for Geno’s jerky nod before he touched him. Sid was as gentle as he could be when he wiped at Geno. He inspected his work and realized that it was as good as it was going to get. He patted Geno’s back to let him know that he was done. When he looked back to the towel, he noticed that there was some blood on it and scrunched his face in disgust. He used some of the water that they had left over from another of Ted’s generous deliveries and cleaned the towel so that all traces of semen and blood were gone. He looked around, hoped to find another towel that he could cover Geno with but there was nothing else. Sid took his own dress shirt off and covered Geno’s bottom half with it. He laid the towel out to dry to use later.

Sid wasn’t sure what to do next. He wanted to comfort Geno but he wasn’t sure exactly how to do that without making it worse for Geno. His mind raced as he now realized that he wished it was him instead of Geno. Seeing the aftermath, knowing what Geno has already been through in his life. All Sid wanted to do was to take the pain away. He crouched down next to Geno’s back again and placed his hand on Geno’s shoulder gently. Geno turned towards the touch and reached his hand out to Sid. Sid put his hand in Geno’s and laughed when Geno pulled him off balance so that he was sitting down behind Geno. Geno let go of his hand and manipulated Sid’s body to where he wanted it to be. Once Geno was satisfied and Sid’s entire body was spooned up behind Geno, he reached around to grab Sid’s hand again. This time, he drew Sid’s hand towards himself so that Sid’s arm was around him. Geno finally relaxed, which allowed Sid to relax into the cuddle and do what he could to comfort Geno.

\-------

Sid started tracking Ted’s activities and he noticed that Ted fell into a pattern. He only ever raped Geno, sometimes it was gentle but more often than not, it was just as savage as the first time. He had spaced it out just enough so that Geno was no longer stretched by the next time he came in to rape him again. Sid had offered to prep Geno once he recognized Ted’s pattern.

“Sid, feel weird about it. Like, supposed to be something nice but know why you doing it, so makes it weird.” Geno had said and Sid could understand that, but this whole situation had been weird from the start.

“I know, Geno. It’s all weird and if I could take some of the pain from you, if he would switch and rape me sometimes too…but he’s not doing that and I _can _take some of the pain away, ok? It won’t hurt as much if he rapes you when you're prepped, ok?”__

____

____

Geno finally nodded his consent. Ted had never given Geno his pants or underwear back so Sid had given Geno his own underwear. He had tried to give him his pants, but they just fell off of him. The underwear were also big but Geno managed to keep them on his hips. Now, he pulled them down and off his body. Sid wasn’t sure if Geno was so comfortable with his naked body out of necessity or if he had always been that way, but he stood in front of Sid now with no shame.

“How you want?” Geno asked and looked around, like he was trying to find the best place for them to do this. Sid had spread the towel out on the floor and gestured towards it.

“Lay on the towel, however you want. Back or stomach, doesn’t matter.” Sid had said and Geno nodded again and laid down on his stomach. Sid sucked his fingers into his mouth to get them as wet as he could in place of the lube that he wished they had. Once he felt saliva dripping down his chin, he removed his fingers from his mouth and rubbed the excess spit over Geno’s hole. Geno twitched at the first touch but didn’t say anything. Sid continued to rub around the hole gently.

“I’m gonna start with one finger, ok?” Sid had said and waited for Geno’s assent. When Geno nodded, Sid pushed his first finger in slowly and started to work it in and out. Geno moaned underneath of him and started to push back onto Sid’s finger. “I’m gonna put another one in.” Sid whispered and waited again for Geno to consent. 

“Yes, yes, okay, put second finger in!” Geno sounded impatient and Sid breathed out a laugh, glad that Geno was at least enjoying this. Sid pushed his second finger in and started to work both of his fingers together inside Geno. Geno moaned again and continued to push back into Sid’s hand. Sid groaned when he felt his dick twitch in his pants at Geno’s obvious enjoyment. As Sid worked a third finger in, Geno started to grind his hips into the floor.

“Geno,” Sid said, breathless. Sid moved his other hand to his dick and felt that he was half hard and became a little more hard with each rotation of Geno’s hips. Geno reached back and pushed Sid’s hand out from between his legs and before Sid could protest, was turning around and sitting up to face Sid. Geno scooted closer and went up onto his knees so that his face was on level with Sid’s. Sid watched in amazed disbelief as Geno’s hands came up to rest on Sid’s cheeks. Geno pulled Sid even closer and then leaned forward the last inch to connect their lips.

The kiss was soft and sweet at first, all lips and no tongue. Sid had snaked his arms around Geno’s shoulders and sighed in contentment. Geno licked at Sid’s bottom lip and Sid’s mouth opened easily for Geno’s tongue. Both of their tongues fought for dominance then and the kiss became frantic. It seemed like neither man could get enough of the other. Sid shuddered when he felt Geno’s hand palm his dick on the outside of his pants. He moaned into Geno’s mouth and moved his hands down to cup Geno’s ass. 

Geno broke the kiss off and moved his hands up to undo Sid’s pants. Once they were loose enough, Geno pulled them down just enough for Sid’s dick to spring free. Geno sat down onto his haunches and moved to pull Sid into his mouth. Sid hissed when Geno’s mouth made contact with his dick. It turned into a moan when Geno started sucking on the head. Geno alternated from taking Sid deep to using his hand at the base of Sid’s dick while he sucked on the head. Sid hadn’t experienced many blowjobs up to this point in his life, but he was pretty sure this was the best one he had ever gotten.

He tried to tell Geno this, but another moan came out again instead. Sid could feel the tension in his belly and he knew that he was going to come soon. He tapped his fingers on Geno’s shoulder to warn him but the other man ignored it. Sid came a second later and Geno took it all and sucked him dry. Sid sat back and was breathing hard after his orgasm as he tried to come back down from the high. He noticed movement in front of him. Once he was able to focus again, he realized that Geno was jacking himself off frantically. Sid scrambled to move back over to Geno and knocked his hand away.

Geno squawked in protest but it died quickly on his tongue as Sid wrapped his hand around Geno’s cock and started to move it up and down. Sid’s lips found Geno’s again as he continued the hand job. Geno’s mouth opened and he stopped kissing Sid and just breathed into him. Geno’s entire body tensed with his orgasm as Sid’s hand was covered in Geno’s come.

Sid wiped his hand on the towel and looked at Geno. Sid knew that he was attracted to Geno from the moment that he saw him in the hotel lobby and he couldn’t believe what actually just happened. He could feel himself smiling and when Geno looked back over at him, his smile grew.

“That was. Amazing. That was amazing, Geno.” Sid had said intelligently. Geno just laughed and Sid was so grateful that he was able to provide this to Geno. A distraction from the realities of where they were.

“Yes, I’m know I’m amazing. Sid feel pretty amazing too.” Geno said slyly and smiled at Sid with open affection. Sid’s heart melted and realized in that moment that he was pretty fucked when it came to Geno.

“Do you think you are open enough, did I prep you enough?” Sid asked worriedly and then hated himself for it because Geno’s smile fell from his face at the questions. 

“Yes, Sid. It be fine.” Geno had said and looked down at the floor again. Sid scooted closer and put his arm around Geno’s shoulders. He knew there was nothing he could say that would make Geno feel better so he didn’t even try.

Sid wasn’t sure how long they sat there, but they scrambled apart when they heard the door at the top of the stairs slam open. It always seemed to anger Ted if he saw any kind of affection between the two. He knew that they were getting closer though and he loved to rub it in Sid’s face that he was hurting Geno and there was nothing that Sid could do about it. 

Ted stomped down the stairs and opened the cage. He grabbed Geno roughly and threw him down onto the mattress. Ted looked over at Sid as he unbuckled his pants and he continued to sneer at him as he blindly reached for Geno and entered him forcefully. Geno grimaced and pretended to be in the usual amount of pain. Or maybe he wasn’t pretending at all, Sid couldn’t be sure. But Ted still noticed something amiss. 

“What the fuck, you little whore? Why don’t you feel as tight?” Ted had asked in irritation. He pulled out of Geno and then used his hands to pulls Geno’s butt cheeks apart. He turned to Sid with a look of disgust and said, “Did you prep my whore without my permission?” His voice was steady but Sid could see in his eyes that he was losing it quickly. He looked back down to Geno and pulled his hair roughly so that it forced Geno to face him.

“You don’t get to prep, you take it how I give it to you and you like it, you hear me? Daddy takes what he wants and you don’t get to make it easier on yourself, you little whore!” Sid watched in horrified fascination as Ted appeared to completely lose touch with reality.

“I don’t give a shit that you are only seven years old, I don’t give a shit that this hurts you. You were put on this planet because I allowed you to be here, so you will damn well do what I tell you to do! Is that clear, Joshua?” Ted had gotten increasingly louder and by the end of his rant, he was screaming. His face was red, veins were popping out of his neck and spit was flying off his lips in every direction. Geno’s panicked eyes looked over to Sid’s and Sid mouthed that he was sorry. God, he was so sorry that he ever suggested this stupid idea.

“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you a lesson so that this never happens again!” When he said that, he looked around and made a sound of dissatisfaction before he stomped back up the stairs. Sid took the opportunity to voice his apology to ensure Geno had understood him before.

“Sid, it ok, you only trying to help. I be ok, I’m promise.” Sid hated himself even more that Geno felt the need to comfort him, when Geno was the one getting tortured. Before Sid could say anything else, Ted was coming back down the stairs. He was holding a broom and some rope. Sid’s stomach dropped at the implication and never regretted anything more in his life. Ted marched back over to Geno and dropped the broom so that he could point his gun at his face. 

“Back up towards the wall, you fucking whore.” Ted had spit out and Geno scrambled to back up so that he was touching the wall. “Good, now bend the fuck over.” Geno did as he was told as Ted had pushed the gun into his back. Once Geno was bent over, Ted went about tying his wrists together and then to a metal ring that was bolted into the wall. Sid had not noticed that before. Ted tested the knots and when he was satisfied that Geno wouldn’t be able to get out, he turned to face Sid.

“Now, you are going to join the fun, hockey boy.” Sid’s stomach couldn’t possibly drop any further but his entire body was filled with dread at what Ted would make him do or do to him. Ted came over to the gate and unlocked it all while pointing the gun at Sid’s head. He directed Sid to pick up the broom and pushed him over towards Geno with the gun. The gun never left contact from Sid’s temple after that.

“You already know what I want you to do, don’t you?” Ted had said with a delirious smile on his face. Sid didn’t respond because he wasn’t going to do anything to Geno voluntarily. “Well, go on, you know what I want!” Sid continued to give Ted a confused expression as if he had no idea what he wanted him to do. Ted’s smile faltered just a bit, but he recovered quickly as he grabbed the broom handle and shoved it into Geno with no warning. Geno squealed in pain and Ted just smiled even wider. Then he tilted his head back and laughed hysterically at the sounds Geno was making when Ted moved the broom stick in and out of him.

“Ok, hockey boy, your turn!” Ted said this and then cocked the gun that was still against Sid’s temple. Sid moved his hands to the broom handle and tried to gently move it in and out of Geno but Ted was having none of that. “Come on, get into it!” Sid moved it just a fraction faster than how he had originally moved it but this just angered Ted even more.

“I always knew you were a little pussy. Best hockey player in the world, my ass.” Ted snarled and then knocked Sid’s hands out of the way. He pushed the barrel of the gun harder into Sid’s temple and directed him back to the cage. When they were at the door, he finally lifted the gun from Sid’s temple only to slam it back down violently against the back of Sid’s head. Sid stumbled and fell into the cage. The last thing he remembered before he blacked out was Ted’s maniacal laugh.

\-------

When Sid had regained consciousness, Geno was back in the cage with him. He moaned as he rubbed his head and tried to sit up. Geno was next to him in an instant. “Sid, you ok? How’s head?” Sid tried to tell him not to worry about him, that he was more worried about Geno, but all that came out was a garbled mess of words that sounded foreign. “Oh, Sid. Just relax. We be ok.” Geno had said gently and Sid had fallen back asleep.

The next time Sid had woken up, his head was in Geno’s lap and Geno was stroking his hair tenderly. Sid blinked and looked up into Geno’s eyes. “Hi Sid, you feel any better?” Sid blinked again but then took stock of his head and it wasn’t pounding like it had been the first time he woke up so he nodded and sighed internally when the motion didn’t make anything feel worse. He slowly got to a seated position and still felt fine so if he did suffer another concussion, at least it wasn’t a bad one. Then he remembered what had happened to Geno.

“Geno! Are you ok?” Sid asked worriedly as the memories came flooding back. Geno grimaced but nodded and Sid didn’t believe him for a second. “Let me see, I’ll clean you up.” Geno sighed, resigned to his fate and nodded again. He laid himself down onto his stomach and Sid inspected the damage. Sid cringed at the wood splinters and blood that he could see and moved to get a water bottle. Sid had started reserving some water for cleanup purposes. He warned Geno first and then poured some water over his hole to clean up what he could. He then set out to picking the splinters out of Geno’s sensitive skin.

“Geno, I don’t know if I can get the ones that are deeper, but you want me to try?” Geno had nodded so Sid did what he could and tried to ignore Geno’s obvious pain. When Ted came down again, days later, Geno had screamed when Ted raped him viciously. Sid was more resolved than ever to escape.

\------

At some point Sid had realized that Ted wasn’t going to rape him. He couldn’t be sure but if he were to hazard a guess, it was because of Sid’s muscles. Geno was tall but he was lanky and had very little muscle tone. Sid on the other hand, was a solid tank. Sid thought that maybe he had been taken out the day of the broomstick because Ted was so angry and out of his mind that he forgot to be afraid of what Sid could do. So maybe Ted _was _afraid of him, despite the six inches in height that Ted had on him. And if he could just wait until Ted made a mistake, he could make his move. He talked to Geno about his plan, he wasn’t sure Geno would be able to run once Sid got them out.__

____

____

“Adrenaline kick in, Sid. I’m be fine. Plus exercised before this, not so much running but not lazy.” Geno had said and smiled at Sid. A genuine smile that convinced Sid. Geno would be able to keep up and they would both be able to run to safety.

“We need a code word.” Sid said to Geno with a smile. “He just has to make a mistake, come down here one time without his gun. He’ll get too comfortable and then I can attack him when he takes you out. You can go straight to the window and break it. We both jump out and run.”

Geno had nodded at Sid and told him it was a good plan. Geno was a bit worried about the fact that he would be escaping sans pants. Sid had to remind him that in the grand scheme of things, running bare assed through the woods was a hell of a lot better than being stuck in a cage. Besides, Sid had promise to grab Geno’s pants if they were still on the floor when they made their move. 

Sid had been in a few hockey fights but nothing too major and nothing outside of the hockey rink. He was worried that he wouldn’t be able to do what he needed to do. Geno reminded him of the adrenaline that would be coursing through his veins. Sid figured that he could always picture the blood between Geno’s legs and the splinters in his asshole for motivation. 

\-------

So they waited. And waited. And waited some more. Sid was starting to think that he missed his chance on the only time that Ted had come completely undone. It had been days, weeks even, since the broom incident and Ted had never showed anything other than complete control. So Sid kind of let his guard down and was not expecting Geno’s whisper shouts.

“Sid! Are you listening? Puck! Puck!” Sid looked up the stairs and sure enough, Ted was coming down with no obvious sign of his gun. Even if he had it tucked in his pants at his back, Sid would still be able to get the jump on him. He stood up so that he was ready to pounce as soon as Ted opened the gate. He had been standing or sitting in different positions every time Ted would come downstairs with no obvious pattern so that Ted wouldn’t be suspicious when Sid was ready to attack. Geno had been doing the same thing. He would also move slowly to the gate at different intervals so Ted never knew how quickly Geno could move. 

Sid watched in tense anticipation as Ted came closer and closer to the gate. Once Ted had the key in the lock, Sid started to bounce on the balls of his feet ever so slightly because he couldn’t contain the excess energy that was surging through his body. Geno made his slow walk towards the gate and the second Ted started to open it, Sid made his move. 

Sid rushed the gate and pushed it into Ted’s unsuspecting face as hard as he could. Geno slipped by him to go break the window. Sid ran out after Geno and lunged towards a stunned Ted. Sid was able to tackle Ted to the ground and straddle his hips while he started to pummel his face with punches. He heard glass breaking somewhere in the background and knew that Geno had done his job. That was his cue to reach into his back pocket and pull his tie out. Sid’s brain flashed back to sharing an elevator with Ted, trying to tie this same damn tie and not being able to because of his shaking hands. Sid grinned at the memory and wrapped the tie around Ted’s neck. He pulled as tight as he could to cut off Ted’s air supply. Ted struggled and flailed about while he frantically grabbed at the fabric at his neck. Sid just pulled tighter and gave Ted his signature sneer back to him. After what felt like hours, Ted’s body finally relaxed. Sid wasn’t sure if he was dead or just unconscious, but he didn’t particularly feel like sticking around to find out. He got to his feet and looked towards the window where Geno should be. Geno was looking back at him with a horrified expression on his face and Sid realized that he was still grinning like a maniac. The smile dropped from his face and he ran to Geno’s side.

“I’m sorry, I think I got carried away. I just kept imagining all the times he hurt you.” Sid had said ashamed at his actions but not really in the right state of mind to address any of his feelings at the moment. Geno must have felt the same way because he just shrugged, leaned in quickly and pecked Sid on the lips to reassure him and then cupped his hands down low. Geno bent his knees and Sid stepped into his hands. Geno then helped him jump through the window. Once Sid was safely through and on the outside of the house, he reached back into the window to grab Geno’s hands. Geno climbed up the wall as Sid pulled him through the window.

When both men were outside, Sid looked around and as far as his eyes could see were trees. Sid had no idea what time of day it was because he had turned his phone off to save the battery and the plan was to turn it back on once they were far enough away that he might have some service. It was sometime in the late afternoon though, Sid could tell by the low placement of the sun. He looked over at Geno who was also looking around and surveying where they were.

“You ready?” Sid had asked and Geno nodded. “Which way do you think we should go?” Geno just shrugged so Sid picked a direction and started running. He knew that his strength had been diminished by lack of food and water, compared to his normal diet, but he didn’t realize just how much until he started running. Geno kept up with him though, so he just pushed through. Geno had been right about the adrenaline. Any time Sid had a thought about stopping, he would think about Ted waking up and finding them missing. He was sure Ted knew these woods a lot better than Sid and Geno so it kept him going. Sid was not going back into that cage. And he was not allowing Geno to be raped one more time.

Sid estimated that they had been running for about a mile when he pulled his phone out of his back pocket. He didn’t stop or slow down but he managed to turn his phone on anyway. Sid knew it would be a minute before the device booted up and found a signal, if there was one to be had, so he put it back in his pocket and focused on where he was going. The last thing they needed was him spraining an ankle on an errant tree branch. They still hadn’t come to any houses or any signs of civilization at all. Sid pushed on even though he could barely catch his breath anymore and his lungs burned worse than any bag skate he had ever done.

He heard wheezing behind him though and slowed to a stop. Geno bumped into him and grumbled, “Sid, why you stop?” The words came out breathless and Sid wasn’t sure how much longer Geno would be able to go. He pulled his phone out to check for service and saw that he still had none. He swore and pointed the device at Geno so he could see.

“Are you able to keep going?” Sid asked and Geno didn’t even dignify that question with a response. Instead, he just pushed past Sid and started to run again. Sid followed suit and caught up to Geno quickly. He stayed behind Geno and they continued to run for at least another mile before they came to a road. Geno had slowed to a stop and Sid mirrored his actions. They cautiously walked towards the road but it appeared deserted. 

“We should walk along the road, right?” Sid asked because he felt like that was the smartest thing to do but then again, he wasn’t working with all his brain power. But Geno had nodded and bent over holding onto this side. Sid let him catch his breath some before he picked a direction and started walking. Geno followed behind him and they continued to walk quickly. They started to see mailboxes here and there at first and the farther they walked, more mailboxes appeared closer together. Hope surged through Sid and he felt like they were finally doing something right.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check for service again. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw that he had one bar. He thrust his fist up into the air in a triumphant celebration and made a whooping sound that startled Geno. He smiled at Geno and told him the good news, as if Geno couldn’t figure it out. Sid immediately called 911 and his brain helpfully flashbacked to the first time he had made that phone call.

He explained to the operator what had happened to him and Geno and how they had made their escape. “I might have killed him, but I’m not too sure.” Sid had said and Geno looked at him like he was crazy for admitting that on a recorded line. Sid just shrugged and couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Ok, that’s ok. We know who you are, we have been looking for you guys for a long time now.” The 911 operator had said and Sid had wondered how long they had been in the cage. His sense of time was completely thrown. “You guys were in there for just about two months.”

Sid blanched at that information and repeated it to Geno, who had a similar reaction. Sid told her where they were, or at least where he thought they were. She had him look up his phone’s location to get exactly where they were. Sid wanted to keep moving because he was worried that Ted would come looking for them.

“I need you guys to stay put, ok? We have units on the way and they will be there in just about 10 minutes, ok? But you can’t move, otherwise they might not find you, ok?” She had told him that she would stay on the phone with him until help arrived. Sid relayed that information to Geno who looked back to Sid like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Sid couldn’t quite believe it either. Sid held the phone to his ear as the operator continued to reassure him that help was coming. 

Sid was pretty sure that he was in shock, his entire body was trembling. Geno didn’t look like he was doing much better and when he made eye contact with him, Geno just melted and fell into Sid’s arms. Both men were crying again and neither cared what they looked like or how they sounded. The noise of a car down the road startled them both and when Sid looked up, all he saw was a convoy of emergency vehicles. He turned Geno around in his arms and the tension of the past 2 months seemed to ooze out of both of their bodies. They both crumpled to the ground with the profound relief that flooded their systems at the sight.

The EMT’s reached them first and checked them both over while they sat on the side of the road. When they tried to load them into separate ambulances, Geno lost his shit and screamed bloody murder until they agreed that they could ride in the same ambulance. The cops that had wanted to ride with each of them were forced to meet them at the hospital because there was no room left in the ambulance. Sid was grateful for Geno’s meltdown then if it delayed the conversation with law enforcement. Sid was in no way ready for that and he knew Geno wasn’t either.

Once they got to the hospital, they allowed Geno to stay near Sid. The powers that be apparently decided that Geno had been traumatized enough. Sid sat by Geno’s side as a nurse completed a rape kit. As another nurse held him open while the first one picked any remaining splinters out of him. When they finally allowed Geno to shower, he dragged Sid in with him and they showered together. Sid gently washed Geno’s hair before moving onto his body. It should have been sexy, but both men were still somewhat in shock and coming down from an adrenaline high like no other. Sid let Geno wash him after because it seemed like that was what he needed. It was relaxing and healing in a way and he hoped it felt that way to Geno as well. When Geno was done, he dropped the washcloth and crumbled into Sid’s arms. Both men held onto each other like their life depended on it. Sid let himself go first and unleashed a torrent of tears. His body shook with the sobs and pretty soon Geno had joined him. 

1 Year Later

Sid was rushing around the bedroom, trying to get dressed in his game day suit. It was his first day back in the spotlight after everything had happened and he wanted to look like he had his shit together. He didn’t exactly have his shit together but after a year, he figured this was as good as it was going to get. Sid cursed to himself as he realized he would have to iron a shirt. He picked one out and walked to the laundry room with it. He stopped in the doorway and smiled dopily at the scene before him. Geno had already gotten the ironing board out and was busily ironing a crisp white dress shirt for Sid.

Geno noticed Sid after a minute and looked up at him. Geno returned the smile and said simply, “I’m know you forget, lot on your mind today.” Sid walked into the room and put his arms around Geno from behind. He held on and rested his head on Geno’s shoulder. Geno hummed at Sid and leaned back into the embrace. When he was done ironing, Geno turned in Sid’s arms and wrapped his own arms around Sid. They started to slowly sway back and forth, slow dancing to their own beat.

“You’re too good for me, Geno.” Sid had murmured softly into Geno’s ear with a smile. Geno shook his head in disagreement.

“No, Sid. We good for each other. Don’t make me repeat speech.” Sid laughed at that and nodded in acquiescence. He didn’t want to start that argument again. It had been a long, tough year. Both Sid and Geno had done a lot of work on themselves to get to where they were now individually and as a couple.

Sid pulled back so that he could look in Geno’s eyes when he said, “Yeah, we are. I know we are.” Sid went in for a quick peck on Geno’s lips but Geno held on tight and deepened the kiss. Geno licked and nipped at Sid’s top lip until he opened his mouth and let Geno’s tongue in. Their tongues met in a swirl of passion and Sid felt Geno’s hands dip down to grab onto his ass. Sid moaned into the touch as his tongue continue to tangle with Geno’s. They made out like teenagers for a while longer before Sid groaned and pulled his face away from Geno’s reluctantly. 

“You’re gonna make me late if this goes any further.” Sid said and pulled his body completely away from Geno’s. Geno just smirked at him and handed Sid his shirt. Sid yelped as Geno smacked his ass on the way out. The hallway echoed with Geno’s laughter as Sid made his way back to their bedroom. It was the most beautiful sound that Sid had ever heard.


End file.
